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Artist Spotlight: B.Slade

In May, out music artist B.Slade released his latest album, Deep Purple, which mixes a wide range of genres, including pop, rock, dance, electronic, and R&B. This year also saw B.Slade collaborating with legendary DJ Frankie Knuckles on a new production of Sylvester's classic dance hit "Mighty Real."

You may have heard B.Slade’s music before. He started his career under the moniker Tonéx, with the gospel label Verity Records. The son of a pastor, his early music intertwined dance and gospel. In 2004, his album Out of the Box debuted at #1 on Billboard magazine's Top Gospel Album Chart, and received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album.

Then in 2009, he came out as a gay man, becoming the first major African American gospel star to do so. Over the next three years, B.Slade left Verity Records to form his own independent label. His new artist name, inspired by the character of Brian Slade from the cult classic film Velvet Goldmine, signals a new persona that is also reflected in the music he now creates.

In addition to his two Grammy nominations, he has won six Stellar Awards, a GMA Dove Award, and has been nominated for a BET Award. The New Yorker wrote a ten-page feature on B.Slade’s amazing backstory and music.

Follow B.Slade on Twitter and listen to a couple of his new songs below.

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